Elizabeth GuzmanServing

Elizabeth Guzman

State HouseDemocrat

VA-HD-22 State House

Age 53·Peruvian (born in Jesus Maria, Lima, Peru; immigrated to the United States in 1999)·Virginia House of Delegates, HD-22 (2026-present)

Why This Race Matters

Guzman is the first Latina immigrant to serve in the Virginia General Assembly and one of the first two Latinas ever elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. She delivered the first-ever Spanish-language Democratic State of the Union response in 2018.

Won 2025 election defeating Republican incumbent Ian Lovejoy with 54.9% in HD-22, returning to the House after redistricting and unsuccessful bids for State Senate (2023) and Congress (2024). Term ends January 2028. Current committees: Education, General Laws, Transportation.

About

Elizabeth Guzman is a Peruvian immigrant, social worker, and public administrator serving in the Virginia House of Delegates for District 22. Born in Jesus Maria, Lima, Peru in 1973, she immigrated to the United States in 1999 as a single mother with just $300, working three minimum-wage jobs to afford a one-bedroom apartment for her and her daughter. She went on to earn four degrees including two master's, and in 2017 made history as one of the first two Latinas elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, defeating eight-term Republican incumbent Scott Lingamfelter. She was chosen by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to deliver the Democratic Party's first-ever Spanish-language response to the State of the Union in 2018.

Family & Heritage

Born in Jesus Maria, Lima, Peru. Immigrated to the United States in 1999 as a single mother with only $300 in her pocket. Worked three minimum-wage jobs simultaneously while attending Northern Virginia Community College to support herself and her daughter. Second-generation union member. Now married to husband Carlos, mother of four children raised in Prince William County. Lives with her mother Gregoria in Nokesville, VA.

Political Career

Before Politics

Division Chief, City of Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services (overseeing $20 million budget and 200-person staff, focusing on mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and substance abuse services); Social worker specializing in child protection and mental health; AFSCME Virginia Local 3001 member

Education

A.D. in Office Administration, Northern Virginia Community College; B.S. in Public Safety, Capella University; M.P.A., American University; M.S.W., University of Southern California

Key Issues & Priorities

*Workers' rights and paid sick leave (introduced paid sick days bill every year since taking office)
*Public sector collective bargaining (repealed Virginia's Jim Crow-era prohibition)
*Immigration reform and immigrant protections
*Healthcare access and Medicaid expansion (helped deliver coverage to 400,000 Virginians)
*Education (class size reduction, mental health support in schools, English-language learners)
*Reproductive rights
*Environmental protection and 100% renewable energy by 2050

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